Unexpected Romance (8 page)

"Everything
usually seems normal."

"It's
a show we put on for you." She laughed. "I'm kidding. The
last two years, tonight notwithstanding, has been the most stable,
normal I've had. But you know what? I told you the worst part of my
life too. You haven't told me anything about you. Parents, siblings.
High school graduate or dropout? High school sweetheart?"

"You
know most of the story. Divorced parents. Scarred for life."

"How
old were you when they divorced?"

"They
split when I was eleven, divorce was final when I was thirteen. My
brother and I were the only ones at home."

"Did
they remarry?"

"My
mom did last year. My dad lives with someone, who has no interest in
remarriage. I have step-siblings, but when you are adults, it's
different." He shrugged.

"Which
of your siblings are you closest to?" She reached over and
fiddled with the radio dials until it was tuned in to her favorite
station.

He
looked at her as he rolled to a stop at a light. "Good question.
I'm closest in age to Daniel. We were closest as kids. Nowadays, my
oldest sister and I talk the most. Her name is Camille, she's ten
years older than me. She is an ultrasound tech, she's married, has
two kids. She worries about me, so she calls often."

"And
she lives in…" she snapped her fingers, trying to think
of the name.

"Kelowna,"
he supplied.

"Yes.
That."

"Yeah,
my whole family is there still. Which made being in Abbotsford nice
for the past three years. Close enough to see them when I want, but
far enough away that it’s not too often."

"I
couldn't wait to get as far from home as possible. Corey's offer was
a godsend."

"After
that story, I would have ran away, too."

"So
where did hockey fall into the story?"

He
shook his head. "No hockey talk."

"Why
not? It's kind of your entire life."

"The
third thing you said to me was you had no interest in hockey. I'm not
going to take you out on a date and talk about something that bores
the shit out of you."

"I
only dislike hockey when it pertains to rich assholes I don't know."

"Which
was me the first day we met."

"Yep,
another rich, charming asshole."

He
parked the car. "Stay put," he said, sliding out of the
car. He was around the car in a flash, pulling open the door. He
offered his hand to her and she took it. His hands were rough. And
warm. His fingers caressed her palm.

When
she dropped her hand away, she realized she was holding her breath.
He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. "Let's go eat,"
he said, hoarsely.

"One
kiss," she countered. Her heart pounded with her sudden show of
confidence.

His
hand slipped down to her neck and held her tightly. He leaned in and
pressed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck
and let him hold her weight. She opened her mouth to him.

He
dipped his tongue between her lips. Then he withdrew. "One
kiss," he agreed. "Put your feet down before we lose our
reservation."

"Oh,
you made reservations. Fancy."

"We'll
finish this after I feed you," he said.

"Deal."

She
felt a thrill run through her body. Yes, yes, yes.

Chris
smiled at her as he parked his car. He couldn’t take her back
yet. He didn’t want to break the magic of the evening, the
bubble that seemed to surround them. He’d never kiss her if
they returned to her brother’s watchful eye. And he desperately
needed to kiss her.

"What
are we doing here?" Her eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"I
thought we'd go for a walk by the river."

"It's
freezing out."

"It's
May. It's not that cold. Just a short walk. I don't know where else
to go and I don't want to go home." It was early, nearly ten. He
wanted to be alone with her a little longer.

After
talking about himself in the car, he'd let her focus on him and his
family until their drinks arrived. Then he turned back to her. They
talked a bit more about her mom and growing up. Conversation flowed
from there to hockey, siblings, friends, politics, and television.

Down
by the river, he intertwined his fingers with hers. "I had a
great night."

She
walked next to him, their shoulders touching, their hips bumping
occasionally. "Me too."

"You
sound surprised."

"I
wondered how much we'd actually have to talk about. We don't have a
lot in common."

"You
noticed I made sure to keep any talk about hockey brief."

She
laughed. "I did notice. You didn't have to. The ban only
pertains to people I don't know. Rich assholes."

"A
label you put on me at first. I didn’t know if you’d
warmed up to me."

She
smiled indulgently. "I no longer consider you in the asshole
category."

"Friends?"
he asked, pushing for a label.

They
stopped at a bench and sat, looking out on the river and the city
lights. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it. Please,
don't consider me a friend.

She
bit her bottom lip. "Not friends. After the other night, we
can't be considered friends."

He'd
been trying hard not to think about sex with her while he was away.
He'd failed miserably. "It was all I thought about while I was
gone."

"I
hope not," she said. "I hope you thought about hockey a
little."

He
laughed. "All right, one of two things. I avoided your brother
as much as possible, because he reminded me of you. Even when we went
out, the guys were harassing me about being distracted."

She
stilled and tried to pull her hand back. He held tight.

"I
said something wrong. What did I say?"

"Nothing.
You've made no promises to me. We should go home." She glared at
him.

What
the fuck was her problem? He was about to stand when realization
struck. He laughed, causing her to tug her hand harder. "I
didn't sleep with anyone while I was gone. I didn't even dance with
anyone or buy any drinks. Oh that's not true, I bought Tim a beer. I
told you I couldn't think of anyone but you."

His
teammates had razed him for drinking only moderately and for staying
seated most of the night. He'd ignored all the women throwing glances
his way, those who had confidence, or too much to drink, and
approached them. When he shook off their teasing, one buddy said,
"Well, more for the rest of us."

So
be it. All of them were unnatural. He let go of Tony's hand, to
finger her hair. "What color is your hair naturally?"

"Plain
brown. I barely remember it's been so long."

"I
bet it matches your eyes. You’re beautiful, Tonya." He
brushed her hair again, searching her face. "I don't want to
offend you. That first night you came to my room to talk with me, you
had no makeup on. I'd never seen you so beautiful. Of course, the
night you were writhing under my fingers, gasping my name, takes the
cake for sexy."

She
bent her head, hiding from his gaze. He took her hand and pulled her
to standing. If he kept thinking about her moans and gasps, he
wouldn’t be able to walk back to the car. And he didn't think
the bench would be an appropriate place for round two. Especially for
what he was thinking about doing with her.

"Come
on, we should get back to the car."

They
walked in silence this time. He glanced at her, wondering what she
was thinking.

At
the car, he couldn't stay at arm's length anymore. Under the parking
lot lights, he pressed her body back against the car with his hips.
He rubbed his lips against hers. Except for opening her mouth, she
remained passive. He was reminded of her inexperience with this type
of thing.

He
pulled away from the kiss to hold her hand. He ran her hand over his
face, down his neck and shoulders. He rubbed his arm, his chest and
let it come to rest on his abdomen. Her eyes were half open as she
looked at him. "If you slid your hand down farther you will find
how much I want you. Only you, Tonya."

He
put his mouth on her ear, tugging her lobe.

Her
fingers twitched against his belly. He wondered if she would take his
dare. He thought she shook, but her fingers crept downward. They
rubbed over the fly of his jeans and he shuddered. He dragged his
lips down her neck, nipping her skin.

"Tony,"
he said.

She
pulled her hands away. "Yeah?"

He
looked into her shimmering, brown eyes. "We have to go before I
forget my good intentions and touch you here in the open. Right
here."

"Oh,"
she said, her eyes wide. "Okay."

He
unlocked the car and opened the door for her. She slid in.

He
muttered "virgin" to himself several times on his way
around the car. It helped dampen his ardor a little.

At
the house, Chris stopped Tonya as she slid from the car. He trapped
her between the car and his body again. She didn't mind as she looked
up at him. He cupped her cheek and dragged his thumb across her
bottom lip. "Why can't I get enough of you?"

She
dropped her eyes. As flattering as his words were, she didn't believe
him.

She
did want him. She trusted him to be gentle with her, for her first
time. She was realistic about his feelings and intentions. He felt
nothing more than lust. For her part, she probably liked him too
much. She'd have to guard herself carefully tonight and any other
time they had together.

He
bent his head and whispered, "Yes," against her lips. He
captured her mouth and she settled her hands on his shoulder with a
sigh. A restless feeling filled her, as his tongue rubbed against
hers. Her hips rotated against his.

She
leaned her weight into the car as his fingers found the hem of her
shirt. His palm left a trail of heated skin as it traveled up her
torso. He settled on her breast, massaging the tissue, as he dropped
his lips to her neck, kissing and sucking.

It
was the first time she let someone put his hand in her shirt.
Normally she would have kneed him in the balls and left. She didn't
have time to dissect this knowledge, as his hand was pulling her
breast from her brassier. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and
finger and she gasped.

He
lifted his head. "Did I hurt you?"

She
shook her head. "It’s…" She rested her cheek
against his shoulder. "Intense."

He
pressed a closed mouth kiss to her lips, continuing to make her feel
hot and cold at the same time. There was an ache between her legs
that she needed him to soothe.

"Make
love to me," he whispered.

He
left her breast to stroke her fingers against her cleft through her
jeans. She clamped it there, hoping it would soothe the ache. It did
as he stroked her, but when he stopped, the feeling got worse.

She
knew she should say no. She knew she should walk to the house, to
safety.

Her
body had other ideas. It was agreeing with a nod and a shy smile.

"Will
you do me one favor?" he asked.

"Maybe."

"I
want to see you. Wash your makeup off."

She
felt her defenses creep up. "I don't wear that much makeup."
She crossed her arms in front of her.

He
recalled a few women he'd seen on the weekend. "I suppose not.
But I still like you without it." He brushed her hair behind her
ear and looked at her. The back of his hand trailed across her cheek.

She
pushed his shoulder. "All right, you've made your point."
For probably the first time, she felt pretty. She felt wanted for
herself.

Inside
the house, the soft sounds of the television came from the living
room. She made sure to stand away from Chris. Nicole and Corey looked
at them.

Nicole
nodded a little. Tonya smiled and nodded back. The older woman
grinned.

"How
was supper?" Nicole asked.

Tonya
glanced at Corey. He looked tense and tired. "Good. Good food,
nice conversation. We went for a little walk and now we are here."

"You
want to join us for the movie?" he asked.

Chris
glanced at her. His shoulder shrugged a little. He'd been eager
before, but now faced with her big brother, had he changed his mind?
Or was he trying to follow her lead?

Either
way, no movie tonight. She smiled. Her blood was running too hot for
polite company. "No, thanks. I’m pretty tired. Think I’ll
just go to bed." That was true.

Chris
stared at her. Tonya pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.
A snort nearly escaped her. She looked at her feet.